Names That Are Variations

Lailah

Spelling variation of Layla

"night"

A lesser-used spelling variation of Layla, Leila et al. In Jewish mythology, Lailah is the name of an angel associated with the night and fertility.

Laylah

Spelling variation of Leila

This spelling variation of the name only recently entered the Top 1000 in 2008. The popular Layla is currently very popular in the United States, while the more traditional Leila is also widely used.…

Laraine

Spelling variation of Lorraine

See LORRAINE.

Loren

English spelling variation of Lauren, Latin

"from Laurentum or bay laurel"

The spelling Loren turns Lauren or its male form Laurence into a gender-neutral name. Last year 75 baby girls were named Loren in the US vs. 60 baby boys, making this name a good nonbinary choice. On…

Lori

English spelling variation of Laurie; diminutive of Laura

"from Laurentium or bay laurel"

Lori, with this sleek modern spelling, was an extremely popular name in the middle of the 20th century, ranking among the Top 100 girls' names from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. But it was…

Laurenza

Italian, feminine variation of Lorenzo, Latin

"from Laurentum or bay laurel"

Unusual and appealing, Laurenza might make a perfect honor name for an ancestral Laura or Lawrence. Count Laurenza among the unknown-yet-usable Italian names for girls .

Lorena

Spanish variation of Lorraine

"from the province of Lorraine"

A feminine name heard most often in the Hispanic community. Surprisingly, Lorena was on the US Top 1000 list of girls' names for an impressive 130 years, from 1880 until falling off in 2011. We do…

Lora

Spelling variation of Laura, Latin

"from Laurentum or bay laurel"

A succinct and stripped back form of Laura, that also doubles up as a Portuguese diminutive of Lorena ("from the kingdom of Lothar") and as a German and Scandinavian short from of Eleanora. In the…

Lauryn

Spelling variation of Lauren

Given a new shot of style by singer Lauryn Hill, this spelling of the name has fallen quite a bit in popularity since its peak of 167 in 1996.

Leigh

English variation of Lee

"pasture, meadow"

This spelling adds a little more femininity to the neutral Lee. Leigh and sister Lee were quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s among the first cool wave of unisex names for girls, but now have…

Letesha

Spelling variation of Letitia

Phonetic spelling of a Victorian-valentine name; it was chosen by rapper Ice-T.

Letizia

Italian variation of Letitia

"gladness"

Letizia is a pretty Latin variation of Letitia; it's one of those Italian names for girls that makes the more familiar version feel less prissy and more appealing. Letizia was the first name of…

Lettice

English variation of Letitia

"joy, gladness"

Lettice is still occasionally heard in upper-class British families, but we fear it would cause too much salad-green teasing to be considered in the U.S. Calling your little Lettice Lettie could help…

Lexus

Greek variation of a diminutive of Alexis

Lexus, an automotive newcomer, has recently entered the Top 1000 -- more because of its association, we fear, with the status symbol car than its relation to the name Alexis. If you love this name,…

Lileas

Scottish variation of Lily

Adds some thorns to the smooth texture of Lily.

Liliane

French variation of Lilian

"lily, a flower"

Now that Lily has become hugely popular, parents in love with this flower name are looking further afield for substitutes such as Liliane and Liliana.

Lilyana

Variation of Liliana, Italian and Spanish

"lily"

Lilyana is variant of "Lillian" or "Liliana", which are elaborations of the flower name "Lily". It could be considered a smoosh-name of Lily and Ana, which may appeal to fans of compound choices like…

Lillyana

Spelling variation of Lilliana

Lynda

Spelling variation of Linda

"pretty"

When President LBJ's daughter Linda Bird changed the spelling of her name to Lynda, she set a trend for spelling adventurism that's still rippling through the name world today.